My Favorite Non-New Year’s Six Bowl Games To Watch
There are only 24 hours in a day. You work for eight. You (should) sleep for eight. That leaves just a third of your day for enjoyment. But even with those final eight hours, there are only many sporting events you can consume on a given day. And, for many of us in the Delaware Valley, most of those “sports watching” hours are dedicated to the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, and Union. Often, something must go. There’s a proverbially, almost necessary give-and-take with sports consumption. College football is a definable outlet to remove in Philadelphia because there isn’t a de facto team of choice (Sorry, Temple fans). So, if you’re not a sicko like me, and don’t necessarily devour college football at an unhealthy level, here’s my favorite of the Bowl Games outside the “important” scope this holiday season.
UTSA vs Troy, Cure Bowl (Friday, December 16)
Every year, I find myself latching onto a Group of Five team that catches my attention. Last year, it was Louisiana (formerly ULL). This year, it’s undoubtedly been The Roadrunners of UTSA.
Frank Harris is the best quarterback you’ve likely never heard of. He led the strong Roadrunner offense to a 10-2 regular season record, with losses to Texas and (then) ranked Houston in the first three weeks of the season. They haven’t lost since, including a three-touchdown victory over North Texas in the Conference USA title game. Harris accumulated 40 total touchdowns and over 4300 yards in 2022. That’s why it was somewhat stunning last week when Harris announced he’d be returning to San Antonio for his fifth season.
One Roadrunner who will be playing their final game for UTSA, however, is wide receiver, Zakhari Franklin. I’ve made note on social media that Franklin is going to make an NFL team very happy they select him in this April’s Draft. I think he’s that talented. Franklin caught 86 passes for over 1100 yards this season as Harris’ primary weapon. Last year, the Roadrunner had their third and fourth players ever selected in the NFL Draft. Franklin will be the fifth. He’s slightly undersized, but he is a strong route runner and succeeds in the intermediate portion of the field. Different positions, and different sides of the ball, but Tariq Woolen is setting the blueprint to not wait on UTSA players in the Draft if one is in front of you.
So why is this seemingly unstoppable juggernaut offense (38.7 points per game) a slight underdog in the Cure Bowl? Insert the Troy Trojan defense. Consider Troy the antithesis of UTSA. They simply stifle opposing offenses. The Trojans allow less than 18 points per game and have held teams to 10 points or fewer five times. This unit allows just north of 200 passing yards per game. They’ve forced 20 turnovers this season and have six players with four or more sacks. Simply put: this defense is fierce.
Troy took a nearly identical approach to the 2022 season as UTSA: losses in two of their first three game. This team lost to ranked Ole Miss on opening weekend and inexplicably lost to Appalachian State in the most improbable fashion on a final play Hail Mary. Like UTSA, the Trojans have not lost since. Nine straight regular season wins and a 19-point victory (it wasn’t that close. Coastal Carolina scored 13 unanswered in garbage time) in the Sun Belt Championship.
Troy has had a much richer history of sending Trojans to the NFL, benefitted primarily by the longevity of the program. The last Troy player drafted, however, came back in 2017, when Antonio Garcia was selected by the Patriots. That time frame also correlates to the penultimate year Troy had a
winning record. This April, we should see that trend kicked. Linebacker Carlton Martial is a missile. He hits with ferocity and excels in stopping the run. He finished 2022 with 121 tackles, including a career-high 22-tackle performance against Army.
What’s that adage? What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? We’re about to find out on Friday.
